Apparatus for splitting closed shell pistachio nuts

ABSTRACT

There is provided an apparatus for splitting closed pistachio nuts in a controlled manner such that the longitudinal sutures of the nuts will be cracked open. The apparatus includes a cylindrical housing wih a mandrel mounted for rotation therein to provide an annulus into which nuts can be introduced. According to various features of the apparatus, the pistachio nuts are rotated, oriented and then split along their sutures in the annulus and subsequently discharged through an opening in the housing. There is also provided a continuous process of treating closed shell pistachio nuts which includes the step of removing the denser foreign particles from the closed shell nuts by flotation; and a soaking step so that the shells of the unopened pistachio nuts will be saturated with water to provide a degree of shell flexibility such that when pressure is applied to the suture of the shell to effect splitting, the shell will flex rather than crack. The shells are subsequently surface dried and then introduced to a splitting operation of the type carried out by the apparatus previously described.

This is a divisional of copending application(s) Ser. No. 06/893,395filed on 8-5-86, U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,140.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Marketing requirements for pistachio nuts in the United States typicallyrequire that substantially all of the nuts have open sutures. Usually,80 to 85% of a normal crop of pistachio nuts will have open sutures whenthey are picked from the tree. However, the remaining nuts generallyreferred to as "closed shell" nuts, are either only partially open orcompletely closed, in either case making them difficult to open by theconsumer.

As used herein, the term "suture" refers to the longitudinal seam of thenut. When the suture is open, the seam is separated into two halvesaround one end of the pistachio nut and a majority of the lengthlongitudinally of the nut.

There has existed a need for efficient and reliable techniques to splitunopened or partially opened pistachio nuts in a uniform manner so thatthey resemble naturally opened nuts. It is important, that pistachioopening equipment be capable of operating at high speeds and that suchequipment does not crack the shells of the unopened pistachio nuts otherthan along the sutures.

According to this invention, there is provided a continuous process oftreating and splitting closed shell pistachio nuts, and a specificsplitting apparatus to be used either alone or in conjunction with theother techniques and apparatus of the invention. Both the apparatus andthe process developed are capable of continuous use for the rapidtreatment and splitting of pistachio nuts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

U.S. Pat. No. 2,129,679, describes a nut shelling device wherein aconical mandrel is positioned within a conical outer casing to formdownwardly diminishing space therebetween. However, this patent does notrelate to the controlled splitting addressed by the invention disclosedherein wherein closed shell pistachio nuts are opened along the suturesthereof with the shells otherwise remaining intact.

Early U.S. Pat. No. 1,274,803, also discloses the use of an outerconical casing with a shaft mounted inner conical mandrel having arestriction therebetween with the nuts therein being shelled, ratherthan opened in the controlled manner of the present invention. U.S. Pat.No. 1,194,318 discloses a similar prior art structure relating to a nutcracker for separating the meats or kernels of nuts from their shells.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,220,320 also relates to a similar prior art apparatusfor shelling nuts however, as in the above prior U.S. Patents the objectis to completely free the nut meats from their shells without injury tothe former.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to this invention, in one aspect thereof, there is provided anapparatus for splitting closed pistachio nuts in a controlled mannersuch that the longitudinal sutures of the nuts will be cracked open. Theapparatus includes a cylindrical housing with a mandrel mounted forrotation therein to provide an annulus into which nuts can beintroduced. According to various features of the apparatus, which willbe described hereinafter, the pistachio nuts are rotated, oriented andthen split along their sutures in the annulus and subsequentlydischarged through an opening in the housing.

A further aspect of the invention resides in a continuous process oftreating closed shell pistachio nuts which include the steps of removingthe denser foreign particles from the closed shell nuts by flotation;and, a soaking step is provided so that the shells of the unopenedpistachio nuts will be saturated with water to provide a degree of shellflexibility such that when pressure is applied to the suture of theshell to effect splitting, the shell will flex rather than crack. Theshells are subsequently surface dried and then introduced to a splittingoperation of the type carried out by the apparatus previously described.In that process, the nuts are oriented in a manner such that pressurecan be applied along a longitudinal seam of each nut so that it will becracked along the suture.

In another aspect of the invention, an apparatus for carrying out theprocess described is provided which includes an apparatus for separatingthe closed shell pistachio nuts from those with open shells; aseparation tank for removing the denser foreign particles from thepistachio nuts; a soaking apparatus to provide the requisite shellflexibility; drying means to provide the appropriate shell surfaceconditions and the splitting apparatus of the invention.

It was an object of this invention to provide techniques for theefficient opening of unopened pistachio nuts.

It was a further object of this invention to open unopened pistachionuts in a rapid and efficient manner along their sutures such that themechanically opened nuts would be of approximately the same appearanceand specifications as those opened naturally during the growing process.

It was a further object of the invention to avoid the cracking andremoval of shells from the nut meats during the opening process.

These and other objects of the invention will be more fully understoodwith reference to the accompanying drawings and the followingdescription of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a layout of the overall apparatus fortreating closed shell pistachio nuts to provide opened shell pistachionuts according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the soaking and surface dryingapparatus according to the invention showing a foreign particleseparator in conjunction therewith;

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view in cross-section of the splitting apparatus accordingto the invention;

FIG. 5 is a top view in partial cross section of the apparatus of FIG. 4taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view in cross-section of the housing element of FIG. 4showing the discharge outlet and one form of a preferred surfaceroughening;

FIG. 7 is a right hand side view of the apparatus of FIG. 4 showing thedischarge outlet and another preferred surface roughening;

FIG. 8 is a view in cross-section taken on line 8--8 of FIG. 6; and,

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the feed chute for the splitting apparatusshown in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a layout of theapparatus according to this invention which includes soaking apparatus10, drying hood 11 and a plurality of splitting apparatus 13, finaldrying units 14, and closed shell pistachio nut separator 15.

Referring to FIG. 2, hopper 16 is provided over conveyor 17 and foreignparticle separator 18. Foreign particle separator 18 is provided withappropriate plumbing fixtures (not shown) to provide a separating poolof water 19. Takeoff conduit 18 is provided to remove denser foreignparticles.

Soaking apparatus 10 includes foraminous conveyor belt 21. Waterconduits 22 are connected to spray heads 23 spaced above conveyor belt21. Water is pumped to the spray heads 23 via conduits 22 by means ofpump 24. Overlying the takeoff end of conveyor 21 is drying hood 25. Theconveyor belt 21 is driven by appropriate drive means (not shown).Underlying conveyor belt 21 is trough 26 from which water is supplied topump 24 by means of a conduit (not shown).

Conveyor 27 is positioned at the end of conveyor belt 21 to providetransporation of nuts coming from the soaking apparatus 10 to thepistachio splitting apparatus 13. Underneath the takeoff end of conveyor27 are lateral transport chutes 28.

As best seen in FIG. 4, pistachio splitting apparatus 13 has feed chute29 mounted thereupon. The splitting apparatus 13 includes cylindricalhousing 30 having a discharge opening 31. The discharge opening 31 islocated in the lower portion of said housing 30 and is positionedcircumferentially less than 360° from feed chute 29.

Mandrel 32 is mounted for rotation within cylindrical housing 30 bymeans of bearings 33. The mandrel is of conical configuration having alarge diameter end 34 located adjacent the bottom of said cylindricalhousing 29 and a small diameter end 35 adjacent the top of said housingto provide a tapered annulus 36. The tapered annulus 36 is of a size andconfiguration to orient pistachio nuts fed into its uppermost portion ina manner such that the longitudinal axis of said pistachio nuts aresubstantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of said mandrel at apoint in said annulus where the maximum width of said pistachio nuts isless than the width of said pistachio of said annulus whereby the nutswill be cracked longitudinally along their sutures.

The sizing of mandrel 32, tapered annulus 36 and discharge opening 31 issuch that the apparatus will effectively split and discharge pistachionuts of various sizes with the larger nuts being split in a widerportion of the annulus 36 and the smaller nuts being split in a narrowerportion thereof, with the height of the discharge opening covering allsuch portions so that the split nuts will be discharged.

In a preferred form the invention, the bulk movement of pistachio nutswithin annulus 36 is facilitated by propelling means protruding from themandrel to contact the pistachio nuts and move them in the direction ofrotation of the mandrel. In their preferred form, such means are shownas longitudinal abutments formed as flexible rubber inserts 37. Theseinserts are fitted into slots 38 in mandrel 32 being fastened to backinginsert 39. The inserts 37 serve to push closed shell pistachio nuts inthe direction of rotation of mandrel 32. Since the flexible material isalso friction producing, wear of such material which reduces the outwardreach of the abutment will still result in bulk movement of thepistachio nuts by friction.

On the inside surface of cylindrical housing 30 there is provided aroughened surface by means of either serrations 39 as shown in FIG. 6 orsurface indentations in the form of slots 40. Additionally, a groove 41extending longitudinally substantially the entire length of housing 30is provided and such groove extends into the inner surface ofcylindrical housing 30 a distance further than the depth of saidserrations 39 to contact the closed pistachio nuts in a manner that willbe subsequently described. As best shown in FIG. 8, the groove 41 has anangular cross-section.

In a preferred form of the invention, the slots 40 can be provided bylining the interior of cylindrical housing with a slotted sheet of wearresistant material.

Splitting apparatus 13 further includes a take off chute 42 (as shown inphantom lines on FIG. 4) to control and direct the split pistachio nutsbeing discharged through discharge opening 31. Such split nuts fall bygravity to conveyor 43 where they are transported to dryers 14 fordrying and then discharged to conveyor 44. From conveyor 44, the splitpistachio nuts are transported to pistachio nut separator where any ofthe closed shell pistachio nuts that still remain unopened are separatedfrom the split pistachio nuts.

Separator 15, can be a conventional rotating needle type separator whichpicks the open shell pistachio nuts from the closed shell nuts by meansof small needles which are inserted in the suture openings to pick upthe open shell nuts.

In operation, closed shell pistachio nuts are initially then transportedto hopper 16 for storage and metering onto conveyor belt 17 whichtravels at a slow speed and introduces the closed shell pistachio nutsto foreign particle separator 18. The separator 18, is a flotation typeseparator wherein the pistachio nuts, which have a specific gravity lessthan one, are floated on the surface of water pool 19 and the denserforeign particles are dropped down to be removed from take-off conduit20. Water flow out of separator 18 transports the pistachio nuts whichare then dropped onto slow moving conveyor belt 19 where they arecontacted with water from spray heads 21.

In a preferred form of the invention, the quantity of water applied tothe pistachio nuts or conveyor belt 19 ranges from about 100 gallons perminute to about 200 gallon per minutes per 1,000 pounds per hour ofpistachio nuts. The bed depth of the pistachio nuts on conveyor belt 21can vary between about 4 inches to about 12 inches dependent on thespeed of the conveyor with a preferred quantity rate being about 250pounds to about 1000 pounds per hour. The speed of conveyor 21 is about4 inches per minute at a quantity of 1,000 pounds per hour to about 6inches per minute with a total soak time range of about 1 to about 1.5hours. Within the foregoing ranges, or other ranges to be determined,the soaking of the pistachio nuts can be varied to provide pistachionuts with shells saturated sufficiently to provide shell flexibility forthe splitting process, but not to the extent that the nut meat is soakedto a point where it is detrimental to quality.

It is preferred to use spray heads 23 having approximately 1/4" diameternozzles to evenly disperse the fresh water over the bed of unopenedpistachio nuts.

Drying hood 25 is provided to contact the soaked pistachio nuts with hotair to sufficiently dry the surface of the shells so that the lubricityproduced by excess surface moisture will be eliminated and there will befriction between the shell surface and the surfaces of splittingapparatus 13. In the preferred operation, the dryer uses about 4,000 toabout 6,000 cubic feet per minute of air with a temperature in the rangeof about 130° F. to about 150° F. per 1,000 pounds per hour of pistachionuts. The warm air can be generated by a two horsepower fan with a 0.8 mBTU burner (not shown) fired by natural gas.

The soaked and surface dried pistachio nuts are then introduced intopistachio splitting apparatus 13, of which three are shown in FIG. 1.

The rotational speed of mandrel 32 can be varied, however it iscurrently preferred to use a speed in the range of about 55 to about 60revolutions per minute. Satisfactory results have been obtained in arange of about 15 to about 70 revolutions per minute.

Closed shell pistachio nuts are introduced by feeder chute 29 to the topof pistachio splitter 13 where they are spread radially around aposition of the circumference of mandrel 32 and fall by gravity intotapered annulus 35. As the pistachio nuts are contacted by flexiblerubber inserts 37 they are moved circumferentially in annulus 36 and asthey contact serrations 39, or slots 40, they are rotated, all the whiledropping further into the annulus 36 as their size permits. When thenuts contact groove 41, they are for the most part rotated on a lateralaxis thereof to an attitude where the longitudinal axis of the pistachionut is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of mandrel 32. Inthis position, the pistachio nuts are rotated around their longitudinalaxis until the widest point of the nut, which is at the suture line, iswedged between the housing and the mandrel splitting cracking along thesuture. Controlled cracking along the suture line is facilitated by theflexibility of the shell of the pistachio nut as provided by the soakingprocess described above which results in the shell being split along thesuture rather than cracked randomly through the material of the shell.The split pistachio nuts are then discharged through discharge opening31 and subsequently dried in dryers 14 and subjected to a finalseparation process in separation 15.

An additional advantage of the invention is that incidental feeding ofopened shell pistachio nuts to splitting apparatus 13 will not result inshelling of an appreciable amount of the nuts.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription; and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for continuously treating andsplitting closed shell pistachio nuts in a controlled mannercomprising:(a) means for contacting said closed shell pistachio nutswith water of sufficient quantity and for a sufficient time to saturatethe shells of said pistachio nuts to provide a degree of shellflexibility whereby pressure applied to the longitudinal suture of saidclosed shell pistachio nuts will result in the longitudinal suture beingopened; (b) means for drying the surface of said closed shell pistachionuts; and (c) means for splitting said closed pistachio nuts bypositioning said nuts to apply pressure along the longitudinal suture ofthe shells thereof and then applying pressure to said longitudinal seamwhereby the longitudinal suture of said pistachio nut will be crackedand the pressure transmitted to said shell, other than to saidlongitudinal suture will result in flexure of said shell.
 2. Anapparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for contacting saidclosed shell pistachio nuts with water include conveyor means totransport said closed shell pistachio nuts as a continuously movingmass, and water spray means.